- Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. – McKinsey

- 72% people prefer to receive promotional content through email, compared to 17% who prefer social media. – MarketingSherpa

Compelling, right? Email is incredible, but it has to be done right. Here are our 5 tips for better email marketing.

1. Keep it short and sweet.

As Chris Arrendale wrote in this blog post, “When it comes to email, we have a lot to sort through and typically a short time to do it. If your email covers too many topics or is too wordy, you are going to lose people.” Keep it short, focused, and eliminate the fluff. People are too busy to have to read long blocks of text and have too many things going on to learn about 5 different things at once.

2. Don’t use too many images.

Images take time to load, and in some cases, if you haven’t properly tested your emails, won’t load at all. Keep your images to a minimum. Images are great for blog posts, but are fluff in email blasts. People want to get in and get out. Give them the information they need without all of the imagery. Choose functionality over beauty.

3. Segment your email lists.

Use a CRM and marketing automation platform to help segment all of your contacts and personalize your messages. Whether it’s segmenting by location, items bought, interests, etc., personalized messages get more engagement and drive more revenue.

4. Don’t email too frequently, and don’t email too little.

You want to stay relevant, but you do not want to annoy your contacts. However, there is no exact science, so you’ll have to test it out.

Signs you’re emailing too much:

People unsubscribe or complain

People stop opening or clicking on your emails

Signs you’re emailing just enough:

People are constantly engaging with your emails

You’re read rate keeps going up

You’re sales are increasing

5. Don’t be too sales-y.

Don’t just pitch your products or services, provide value and demonstrate you are the go-to in your industry for not only products/services, but valuable and up-to-date information. Include a mix of blog posts, helpful articles or tips, and a call-to-action that drives people to engage with your campaign.

Email marketing isn’t slowing down, so if you want to ABC (Always Be Converting) then start optimizing your email campaigns to drive more engagement. With engagement, comes revenue.